Ford Foundation Continues Support for Hurricane Sandy Recovery with 23 New Community Grants

NEW YORK, Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Ford Foundation continued its support for community rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy today by committing to provide 23 new grants to community organizations in the metro area totaling $469,000.

The diverse set of organizations—which include food banks, religious organizations, neighborhood initiatives, and others—are helping communities get back on their feet to recover and rebuild.

The new grants are the result of a staff nomination process that began in the immediate aftermath of the storm, when Ford Foundation president Luis Ubinas asked foundation staff members to recommend support for organizations working in their neighborhoods to advance recovery and rebuilding efforts.

"Since the very moment Hurricane Sandy hit, the entire foundation has been committed to helping our neighbors rebuild," said Ubinas. "We hope these grants can be another shot in the arm for a region that is showing tremendous resilience and resolve."

The commitment announced today is part of a broader effort by Ford to support the region's immediate and long-term response to the storm. Last month, the foundation committed $5 million to the NYC Nonprofit Recovery Loan Program, which will provide short-term bridge funding to help local nonprofit organizations serving communities devastated by the storm. In addition, Ford committed $254,000 to help protect the health and safety of vulnerable workers on the frontlines of community rebuilding efforts.

The staff nomination process guiding this new set of grants was designed to help the foundation quickly identify and support local efforts that needed it, and to reach organizations that were less likely to receive support from others.

The result is a set of organizations that are contributing to relief and recovery efforts, including in many of the hardest-hit areas, whose efforts may not be well known by those outside their immediate reach.

The grants are being coordinated by the Ford Foundation's Good Neighbor Committee, a longstanding, staff-led initiative that provides grants to organizations working in the neighborhoods surrounding its New York headquarters and several international offices.

For updates on the foundation's continued support for Hurricane Sandy rebuilding efforts, visit www.fordfoundation.org.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than 75 years it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.